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Women’s swim competes at State pg. 6
Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Elise Keller PRINT EDITOR: Lindsey Bennett JUNIOR EDITOR: Jaden Fields BUSINESS MANAGER: Zora Thomas VIDEO EDITOR: Ethan Weihl SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/ GRAPHICS EDITOR: Zeke La Mantia NEWS/ OPINION EDITOR: Elise WilkeGrimm FEATURE/ ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Emily Stisser PODCAST EDITOR: Maeve Taylor ADVISOR: Donald Johnson SOME MATERIAL FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE The Echo is a monthly publication of the newspaper staff of Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Ave., Webster Groves, MO. To contact staff members, call 314-963-6400 ex. 11157 or write to wgecho@wgmail.org. Unsigned editorials are the opinion of a majority of staff members; signed articles are the opinion of the writer. Letters to the editor of 300 words or less are welcome; submit letters by the 10th of the month to wgecho@wgmail.org, or room 155. All letters must be signed, although the name may be withheld from publication if requested. The Echo has the right to edit letters for publication as long as intent remains unchanged.
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Redistricting to take place at elementary level Teachers show passion for black history Drama to perform Shakespearian parody STUCO hosts annual blood drive WGHS musicians perform at MMEA Concert Women’s swim competes at State BattleHawks electrify downtown St. Louis New coach excites women’s soccer Black alumni recall stories of success, lasting impact of community Community provides support for senior Teachers work to fight inequity Douglass history remains unforgotten ‘Changes’ fails to meet fans’ expectations Lil Nas X inspires change within industry Cancel culture causes controversy Willie’s Comic
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Bill and Cindy Bennett Melanie Bennett Aerin Johnson Keillyn Johnson Trinity Madison Frank and Molly Peterson Terri Riutcel Stisser Family Gail and Owen Taylor Wilke-Grimm Family Christian Zareh Zareh Family
Cover Cutline: Sophomores Lili Gregov and Libby Seitz smile together after winning the 400 meter freestyle relay on Friday, Feb. 21. Photo by Elise Keller
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6 Table of Contents | February 2020
Redistricting to take place at elementary level Elise Keller Editor-in-Chief
Webster Groves School District is looking to reassign attendance zones to accommodate the six elementary schools. The district states the priorities for the new zones are enrollment balance, diversity, distance and safety. “The reason for redistricting is that because of the incoming changes that would move the sixth grades to Hixson following the 2021 school year, that leaves the current sixth grade center as a full elementary school that is able to take on a lot more students, so we need to redistrict to evenly fill all schools to the best of our ability,” junior Simon Glarner said. Both Glarner and Grace Patrick, junior, are student advisors to the board and have sat in at meetings discussing the redistricting. “The factors determining the options for reconstruction are Distance and Safety, Enrollment Balance, and Diversity. It is important to the district that travel distance to school is minimized, to prioritize the safety and health of students. It is also important to the district that enrollment within the schools is as balanced as possible, and that each school is as socioeconomically and racially diverse as possible,” Patrick said. To ensure the best possible outcome, John Simpson and the school board have invited community feedback in the process. “There have been several discussion sessions, surveys, and opportunities for public comments during board meetings for community input,” Patrick said about community involvement in the decision. “While the school board has the final say, they are taking into account how the community is responding to this process, and want to find the best solution for the community as a whole,” Patrick said. As the zones currently exist, each of the five schools have between 173 and 460 students, the largest being Avery and the smallest being Hudson. Similarly, each school has between a 9 percent and 13 percent free and reduced lunch population. With the addition of Givens elementary in North Webster, an area with the highest density of socioeconomically disadvantaged students, this will change the
February 2020 | News
Photo from Webster Groves School District
The Webster Groves School District, previously comprised of five elementaries, will undergo redistricting to accommodate for the addition of Givens Elementary. balance and diversity in the schools. Five zoning options are currently being discussed. The first option is to send students to whichever school is closest to them, looking at solely proximity. If Givens were to take in only the students closest to the school, it would reach a 39 percent free and reduced lunch population, and the other elementaries would go to between 3 percent and 9 percent. The walking distance for most students with this plan stays under one mile. The second option is a similar plan, with a focus on proximity, but a bit more balance in terms of socioeconomic disparaging. Givens will have about 29 percent free and reduced lunch, while all others will have between 5 percent and 11 percent. The third option has a better balance of proximity and socioeconomic diversity, but some community members voiced concerns about the fragmented zones on a survey sent out by the committee to redistrict. Scenario four, which had low support in the survey, seems to have the best bal-
ance of travel distance, socioeconomic diversity, and continuous boundaries. Some who took the survey said that the distance is just too far. The final scenario received the least amount of support, but was fairly socioeconomically diverse. This plan looked at taking sections from each of the current elementaries’ zones and sending them to Givens, similar to how students from North Webster have been gerrymandered in past district zones. This option impacts the least amount of students. The issue many saw with this plan was the distance traveled for those impacted and chunking up the zones. This option doesn’t seem to create a neighborhood feel. “I support whichever option minimizes travel distance to school and focuses most on distance and safety for students,” Patrick said. “Upon first glance, option two seems best suited to have a combination of ease of accessibility with diversity,” Glarner said. The recommendation for the exact scenario will be made to the board in late spring of 2020.
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Teachers show passion for black history
Photo by Zeke La Mantia
Social studies teacher James LeMay’s door won best theme for Land of LeMaynia outside room 297 in the social studies Black History Month door decorating contest.
Zeke La Mantia Social Media Manager Social studies classes are celebrating Black History Month with the decorating of classroom doors. The idea was proposed by social studies department head, Betty Roberts. The concept was to decorate classroom doors in honor of Black History Month and the many black activists, athletes, scientists and artists from history and present day. Participation was mandatory for each social studies/history class and a few other classes joined in as well. “The effort was proposed and forced primarily so a celebration
of black history could take place. The effort was spearheaded by the history department because of our scholastic mandate and because the topic is black history, and we’re history,” social studies teacher James LeMay said. Certain teachers set guidelines in place for their students or gave a general theme to their doors. Door decorations varied in structure from some showcasing cuttings of written pieces from famous black writers or taking on a more abstract approach and doing photo collages. “For me I wanted my students to find something they were interested in and find the opportunity to not only find that interest but to display their own talents in the process,” LeMay said. The door decorating took place the first two weeks of February and was then judged on four different categories. The winners are as follows: Most Creative: Carrie Ahrens and Dana Miller/ Chelsea Detrick Center; Most Informative: Rachel Huertes/Nurses Office; Best Theme: The Students of James LeMay in Land of LeMaynia outside Room 297 and Best Overall: The Students of Betty Roberts with their work on highlighting Black American Activism outside Room 278. About whether he was happy with the ending result of his door and hallway, LeMay said, “I’m very happy, extremely pleased with the efforts made by my students. They came through in a big way artistically and structurally. Even the kids who didn’t do something artistic still helped out.” Winning classes received Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for their efforts.
Drama to perform Shakespearian parody Maeve Taylor Podcast Editor “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” is the first of two spring plays to be performed by the drama department this year. The play, according to its description on Wikipedia, was written and first performed by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield in 1987, and “parodies the plays of William Shakespeare with all of them being performed in comically shortened or merged form by only three actors.” Drama teacher and director Todd Schaefer describes the play as “an attempt to teach the audience about all of Shakespeare’s plays that goes terribly wrong.” The cast is comprised of juniors Amelia Griesedieck and Jaden Fields and sophomore Gant Gibson, all acting as themselves under their own names within the
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context of the play. Griesedieck described the character dynamic, “Basically, I’m kind of like the heart of the show, the one that tries to keep everyone on track, while Gant is the clown, and Jaden is the intellectual. We kind of all balance each other out to make the show what it is and to keep it running smoothly, even though it all goes downhill.” Schaefer, regarding the reason this play was chosen to perform, said, “I was looking for a way to bring some Shakespeare to All Write and a show that allowed actors to do some slap-stick style comedy.” Gibson, said about how the audience should prepare for the show, “I don’t think the audience should know anything. They should go in blind not knowing who’s performing or what any of the jokes are.” “Don’t expect anything. There’s a lot of tricks,” Griesedieck said. “You’ll be surprised.” The show will run in the Black Box March 5-7, with a start time of 7 p.m.
Photo by Maeve Taylor
Juniors Amelia Griesedieck and Jaden Fields and sophomore Gant Gibson rehearse “The Complete Works of Williams Shakespeare (Abridged),” which will be performed March 5-7, in the Black Box Theater.
Tickets will cost $7 for students and $10 for adults, running 90 minutes in length with a 10 minute intermission between acts.
News | February 2020
STUCO hosts annual blood drive
with instructions on how to sign up. There was a permission slip that must be filled out with state ID and the last four digits of social security number required. Students that did not receive an email could go to student council officers to sign up. Student council officers recommended for people to spread the word that the blood drive was occurring to increase the number of participants. STUCO members who were not old enough to donate blood had the opportunity to help in other ways, such as volunteering to be comforters, runners, to help clean up, etc. Senior Mary Claire Wolk, STUCO officer, was unable to donate blood, but she contributed by volunteering for the whole drive. STUCO members who were interested in volunteering contacted her to get signed up. This way everyone was able to Photo by Elise Wilke-Grimm get involved to make a difference, Wolk Juniors Amissa Blumenthal and Caroline Gillow smile after Blumenthal donates said. blood at the STUCO blood drive on Feb. 20. “If you’re unable to donate blood you might as well spread the word because evElise Wilke-Grimm ery person who donates blood saves three lives,” Wolk said. News/Opinion Editor Though this was Lauren Maedge’s first year taking over the blood drive, she believes this has been about it’s 10th year runSTUCO organized a blood drive that took place on Feb. 20 in ning. Each year STUCO has had a decent amount of success with the secondary gym from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. it, according to Maedge. The club worked with the Red Cross Foundation to collect as First time blood donors are recommended to weigh at least 110 much blood as possible to donate to blood banks where the blood pounds, get a good sleep the night before, eat breakfast and drink will be used for people in need. Like the fall NHS blood drive, plenty of water beforehand. this annual event was in memory of Caleb Nehring. Patrick Lee, STUCO officer, donated blood for the first time “When I started teaching here, Caleb Nehring is who we did it after volunteering throughout the drive. in honor of. That was while Caleb’s class was still present at the “I’m in the same boat as everyone who is scared about donathigh school. Now, I think we just do it because of how success- ing blood for the first time. For me it’s because the benefits outful we’ve been in previous years and to be good people,” Lauren weigh the little bit of pain for an hour,” Lee said. Maedge, STUCO sponsor, said. Students who are 16 years of age and older received an email
WGHS musicians perform in MMEA Concert Zora Thomas Business Manager
Missouri Music Educators Association hosted the annual Missouri All-State Concerts. Three WGHS students participated, Ava Andrews, Reade Snelling and Ray Wetzel-Meehan as part of band and orchestra. These concerts are intended to showcase the talent of musicians who have been taught by MMEA members from schools all over Missouri. The theme of the event was “Vision 20/20: Looking at the future of music education through the eyes of a child.”
February 2020 | News
The reasoning for this concert is for the Missouri Music Educators Association to celebrate the 82 years of “serving its membership with goals of teaching and learning by promoting a comprehensive music education program that furthers music making by all,” according to the official MMEA website. These series of performances were held in the Tan-Tar-A Resort, near the Lake of the Ozarks, from Jan. 22-25. On Jan. 22, only the All-State Children’s Choir performed. Jan. 24 and 25, featured performances from varied schools’ bands, choirs and orchestras. The last day of this event was dedicated to the All-State Choir, Band, Jazz Band and Orchestra playing, along with the Kansas City Wind Symphony at 9 a.m.
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Women’s swim competes at State Elise Wilke-Grimm News/Opinion Editor
Women’s swim competed for State on Feb. 20-21, at the Saint Peters Rec Plex. The team placed fifth at State, following Parkway West (first), Parkway Central (second), Ladue (third) and Nerinx Hall (fourth). Top swimmers for Webster were senior Parker Hagemann, who scored 31 points for the team, sophomore Lili Gregov, who scored 16, and sophomore Libby Seitz, who scored 6 points. Seven WGHS swimmers competed at State. Nineteen swimmers competed during Conference, where Webster placed first against Ladue, which was beat by 64 points. Ladue was Webster’s top competitor, and it was also present at State. Swimmers who didn’t compete at State went to cheer on their teammates. Taylor Knapp, junior, did not compete for Conference or State, but she went as a cheerer. “The swim team is so much fun; I’m really happy I joined and made all these friendships,” Knapp said. Before Conference, the team attended
Photo by Elise Keller
Senior Parker Hagemann swims butterfly in the 200 medley relay. The medley relay team won fifth at State on Friday, Feb. 21. many Dual Meets, which are competitions only involving two schools. The team also attended invites which are competitions that involve multiple schools. These smaller competitions led to Conference and then to State. The team captains are seniors Grace Lock and Hagemann. “We have to help getting people to the
meets, from the meets, suits, all that kind of stuff,” Hagemann said. Overall the team did well, and its hard work and training paid off. Madeline Collier scored five points for the team. “In the two-free relay we got ninth. We were really close to getting in the championship heat but whatever happens, happens,” Collier said.
BattleHawks electrify downtown St. Louis Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist For the first time since 2016, a St. Louis football team played in the Dome at America’s Center. In a historic home opener, on Sunday, Feb. 23, the St. Louis BattleHawks won against the New York Guardians. The final score was 29 to 9. Competing in the new XFL league, the BattleHawks will continue to play in a 10-week regular season schedule. The 10-game season is complete with five home games. Originally, fans and supporters worried about ticket sales for home games, considering the vast seating capacity of around 66,000 at The Dome. However, the entire lower tier sold out at the game. The announced attendance was 29,554, making it the most attended XFL game yet. In response, top tier ticket sales may be opened up for the next Feb. 29 home game this coming Saturday. Many fans that attended the game described the energy as “electric.” For the remainder of the season, single game ticket prices are fairly affordable, catering to a new fan base. Prices range anywhere from $24 to $108. Additionally, group and season ticket pricing varies. Information can be found at https://www.xfl.com/ en-US/teams/st-louis.
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Photo by Emily Stisser
Fans wave rally towels and cheer for the St. Louis BattleHawks on Sunday, Feb. 23 in the team’s home opener. The final score was 29 to 9.
The BattleHawks, one of four teams in the XFL east division, are led by head coach and general manager Jonathan Hayes. Each and every XFL will continue to air on live television through various FOX networks. As the long-term longevity of the team is still in question, for now, St. Louis is again, a football town.
Sports | February 2020
New coach excites women’s soccer Lindsey Bennett Print Editor
When the women’s soccer team steps onto Selma Field for its first game, it will be led by a new head coach, Matt Hearty. “It is definitely going to be much different from last year,” senior Grace Lock said. Hearty is replacing Thom Champion, who previously held the position for three seasons. Although Hearty is new to his current job, he graduated from WGHS in 2008 and has been involved with both the women’s and men’s soccer programs as an assistant coach. “He was in the program himself when he was here. He knows how to run everything,” Photo by Greg Frazier senior Izzy Heintz said. The women’s soccer team celebrates a goal against McCleur North on April Lock added he was always, “offering ad21, 2017. vice and support” in his role as assistant. Players including Heintz note the preseason successful season as long as we work hard as a team and play for training has already improved from years prior. each other,” Lock said. “He’s doing a lot of things different already like more intense Although Lock wants to achieve great things, she said the training, and I think it is really good for us,” Heintz said. team’s main goal is to “rebuild the program’s core values and The team has big goals for the upcoming season under the team environment.” leadership of Hearty. The first women’s soccer game is March 24, on Selma Field at “The ultimate goal is to go to State, and I think we will have a 4:30 p.m. against Marquette.
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February 2020 | Sports
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Black alumni recall stories of success, lasting impact of community
Photo by Lindsey Bennett
In honor of Black History Month, the social studies department held a friendly door-decoration competition, complete with the celebration of black activists, athletes, artists, scientists and alumni.
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Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist Lindsey Bennett Print Editor During the month of February, students walked the halls surrounded by decades of black history and culture. In honor of Black History Month, the social studies department held a friendly door-decorating competition, complete with the celebration of black activists, athletes, artists, scientists and alumni. Dana Miller, Chelsea Center advisor and WGHS alum, took to her door to showcase several more recent black successful alumni, emphasizing the importance of sharing their stories. Deja Knuckles, class of 2003, currently works in Finance and Compliance for the U.S. Federal Government, residing in Atlanta, GA. Knuckles directly enforces compliance for the banking system and performs financial analysis on quantitative statistics. Education wise, she attended college at Lincoln University of Missouri, receiving a BS in Marketing in 2007, further receiving a masters in business administration with an emphasis in Management in 2008. Following, in 2013, Knuckles received a masters of science in finance degree from Webster University. Throughout her time at WGHS, Knuckles was extremely involved in several leadership roles, while continuing to advocate for diversity. From 2002 to 2003, she served as the vice-president of Student Awareness for Action (SAA). During her junior and senior year, Knuckles was an active participant in DECA, competing at the local and state levels. When asked to recall the impact WGHS has made in her life and in her peers, Knuckles said, “Diversity and mentorship.” “WGHS was a very diverse school in the St. Louis area, which allowed me to build relationships with people from all backgrounds. We were all stationed at the same place during school hours, but I later learned that everyone’s lifestyle was impacting their drive, passion or work ethic throughout the day.” In high school, Knuckles was designated as a mentee to a teacher and a counselor within the WGHS district. Knuckles said, “Their strong influence reminded me that education was important and to always give back and mentor others. They provided me with scholarships for college and guidance on being a black woman in society.” Knuckles said, “Although my closest friends are from college, I am blessed to be friends with my high school crew. In fact, my best friend attended WGHS with me and is a great friend of counselor Dana Miller. We talk daily and still share the same joy and friendship from the last 25 years,” Knuckles shared. “The Webster Groves community is one big family and
Feature | February 2020
Photos from the Echo yearbook
Photos from the 2001-2004 Echo yearbooks show black alumni participating in school activities. School portraits depict Miranda McElrath-Conrad and Deja Knuckles. Conrad said, “I feel that being a WGHS graduate taught me how to face challenges head-on.” we all share the same unconditional love for the community. I resided within the Webster Groves community, so I was able to appreciate being a resident. One thing I value is our love for sports and the support we give to the Statesmen,” Knuckles said Miranda McElrath-Conrad, class of 2004, was born and raised in the Webster Groves community. In fact, her great grandparents, William and Irma Calvin, as mid-1930s graduates of Douglass High School, began her family’s lasting legacy in Webster Groves. Conrad’s grandmother, the daughter of William and Irma, first attended Douglass prior to integration. Following integration, she attended WGHS. In Conrad’s words, “Needless to say, I am clearly a Webster Groves legacy.” During Conrad’s time at WGHS, she was in band, played soccer and ran track. Her senior year, Conrad and her sprint relay team competed in the State Championship Meet on Graduation Day. Following high school, Conrad attended college at Tennessee State University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Conrad shared that Tennessee State University is a Historically Black College University (HBCU). After her time at Tennessee State University, Conrad obtained her Masters from Florida International University in Miami, FL.
February 2020 | Feature
Regarding her current involvement in the community, Conrad said, “Throughout the years I’ve stayed in contact with the friends that I grew-up with and also made during my time in the Webster Groves School District.” Conrad currently works as a special agent for the U.S. Government, working in the Midwest region. On WGHS’ impact on her values and self, Conrad said, “I feel that being a WGHS graduate taught me how to accept challenges head on. During my high school years, I remember being challenged, and teachers would require us (students) to fight through and figure it out, not just to immediately ask for help or give up, but to use all relevant resources available. I feel that WGHS equipped me with the tools to succeed in college and in my career.” Reminiscing on her hometown, Conrad said, “The small town feel in a big city sums up Webster. I love being able to walk into the grocery store or the local gym, running into someone that knows me or my family members. During my job, I’ve ran into people that are from Webster or went to WGHS and we were able to immediately connect. One day, I hope my career takes me back to the St. Louis area, because I would purchase a home in the Webster area and I would love for my kids to continue the Webster Groves School District legacy.”
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Community provides support for senior that I didn’t know I had before,” Birkhead said. The communities’ eagerness to help, as well as the shock of circumstances, have impacted more than just Birkhead. “I think what has been most amazing for me and what I’ve heard is just the quickness in a moment, how things can happen. I talked to his mother, and said. ‘So, how fast did it happen, were you able to get any important papers, were you able to get anything,’ and she said,‘We were outside barePhoto by Elise Keller foot.’ It just happened so Senior Greg Birkhead shoots at practice on Feb. 26. Webster helped to provide donations to quickly. So I think it’s been help him and his family following a house fire. a great reset for a lot of folks to treasure loved ones, treaElise Keller sure moments and think about what they’ll do in case that situaEditor-in-Chief tion happens in their own place,” Birkhead said. “It made me realize that this school is more than just a school. It’s just one big family,” Birkhead said. Senior Greg Birkhead found support from classmates and teachers after a house fire took his home. “The community came out in a large way. He came into school the day after the fire, and I heard from three teachers. He came in, and you could see it on his face,” Dr. John E. Thomas said. Thomas was one of the organizers to provide support and donations to Birkhead. “Myself, the nurse, and Mrs. (Julie) Simonson, we just kind of stopped what we were doing and sat around him and gave him some love. That was at 8:15 a.m. I sent an email out to some of his teachers, and by 15 minutes after that email went out, we started getting donations. We used the community closet to supplement things he needed immediately, like toiletries and personal hygiene things. We tried to also figure out things that we could get for the entire family,” Thomas said. Teachers and students were among community members who reached out. Donations were made in the form of money, clothes and other household items. “All throughout that day, things just started coming down. Bags of clothes, backpacks, anything that you possibly could think of that you would need, they started coming down (to the office). Probably for the next week, things came daily. So much so that we got to a place where we didn’t want to keep sending things home with him, so we reached out to (his) mom, and mom came in probably two or three days later and picked up a baby crib, gift cards and a whole bunch of other stuff,” Thomas said. Webster alum and NFL football player, Adrian Clayborn also reached out and provided support. About having that amount of support from the community, Birkhead said, “It felt great. Everybody showed me a lot of love, and it really just made me feel like I had a whole bunch of friends
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Feature | February 2020
Teachers work to fight inequity
Photo by Ashli Wagner
Students participate in a walkout over the acquittal of Jason Stockley on Sept. 18, 2017.
Ethan Weihl Video Editor For the past decade, teachers and administrators have been working to provide equal opportunities for all students. “We started talking about equity as a building… 15-16 years ago,” Assistant Principal John E. Thomas said. Currently, that work has manifested in the teacher equity group, a group of teachers and administrators that meet to discuss, according to Thomas, “how we can make our curriculum less Eurocentric.” English teacher Tamara Rodney is a member of the group. She hopes that the group is able to make “tangible change” at the high school. “I just think we need to move to a place of action,” Rodney said. The teacher equity group began by reading “Despite the Best Intentions,” a book by Amanda E. Lewis and John B. Diamond. The book centers around a district similar to the Webster School District, and how inequity has affected it. In the book, despite all of the work the district does, “Those [minority] students would typically underperform,” Rodney said. This school year, the group has begun to utilize PLC time to work with all staff in the building. One of the main goals of the group is to make sure students of color are able to take more AP classes. According to Rodney, some students are “locking in” to certain tracks, which makes them unable to move into higher level classes. A lot of the change that the group is working to make is structural. “Racist systems exist… when we don’t deal with the reality for
February 2020 | Feature
black and brown people,” Rodney said. As for next steps, Rodney said “we still have a lot of work to do.” She wants the group “To continue to look at the data before us… So that we would service all students in the building.”
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Douglass history remains unforgotten
Photos from Douglass display
Various photographs from the Douglass display case, outside of the main office, depict what life and education really was like at Douglass High School. The yearbook cover depicts Herbert S. Davis (front row center) and Douglass High School’s first graduating class.
Jaden Fields Junior Editor Douglass High School was among the only black high schools in the St. Louis and Jefferson County area. Established in 1926, the school closed in 1956 following integration. The school was located in North Webster, an area that was predominantly occupied by African Americans. Because the school was one of the only black high schools, black students from all over the county attended Douglass. “Culturally, the school meant a lot to me. I was with people of my color. I was able to interact with people like me. The teachers were very influential helping us to learn as much as they could. Not just educationally but culturally,” Douglass alumni Florida Cargill said. Despite the belief that many all-black schools at the time had fewer educational opportunities and fewer resources due to lack of funding from the state, Douglass
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had thriving academics and extracurriculars. The school’s band program won several awards and would even go to competitions against white schools. Sports and community was another large aspect at Douglass High. Its basketball team was incredibly successful, and its games were always a huge event for the students. The school community would also host something called “Teen Town,” which was an event that took place every Tuesday night at the Y.M.C.A. They would play games and have dances. Douglass’s homecoming dance was another event that was wildly popular. Like most schools, it would elect a homecoming court, but the day following it would have a large parade for homecoming that the queen would be a part of and march all throughout North Webster. Schools were not integrated until 1956, and following this, Douglass High School closed. When this happened, all the students had to attend the high school that corresponded with their neighborhood.
Not all the Douglass attending students were happy with this, as it meant having to leave their friends if they were not from that county. Upon arrival to Webster, in an effort to keep from outcries similar to that of Little Rock, Webster administration assigned a white student to every new black student to take them class to class. Despite segregation technically being over, racism was still felt within the halls for the new students, much of it coming from staff. “The choir teacher didn’t really want dark skin blacks in her choir. She’d allow more light skin singers in. We had two very (light) girls in my class. They were allowed to sing in the choir, but they had to be behind a curtain,” Cargill reminisced. Inclusion was something that weighed heavily on these former Douglass students, many of them not even attending the lockin after graduation, but none of this deterred them from continuing in their education.
Feature | February 2020
Review
‘Changes’ fails to meet fans’ expectations Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist
this track. Unfortunately, most of the album does not outshine this track. Justin Bieber is back, releasing his newMost tracks that feature est album, “Changes,” on Feb. 14. other artists stand out among This is the 25-year-old artist’s first al- other but are still underbum since 2015, cultivating much fan an- whelming. ticipation for his return. In most of the tracks, the In Bieber’s early years, critics were featured artist does not even quick to differentiate him as a spotlight enter the song until at least artist of younger generations. “Changes” the second verse, failing to is not evident of that. reflect personal influence or As Oscar Wilde said, “You never get a lyricism. second chance to make a first impression.” However, “Get Me (feat. The pop album begins shakily with “All Kehlani)” is by far the best Photo from justinbiebermusic.com Around Me,” setting a basic tone for the on the album, exuding a Justin Bieber will perform his “Changes” Tour at rest of “Changes.” strong R&B influence. Enterprise Center, along with special guests Kehlani Although it received a surplus of critiAdditionally, “Forever and Jaden Smith on July 13. Tickets are available cism, “Yummy” is a personal standout on (feat. Post Malone & Clev- for purchase at www.ticketmastser.com. the album. The successful leading single er)” is a popular track that off of “Changes,” “Yummy,” quickly re- meets the mark. In short, “Changes” did not hit the mark ceived much radio play and high streamTrack nine, “Take It Out On Me,” is not lyrically, failing to address Bieber’s exing numbers. However, fans’ expectations anything fans haven’t heard before from tensive career in the spotlight and the rewere most certainly not met, considering Bieber, short in length like several other cent harder times in his life. they were disappointed at the release of tracks. The album is also amiss of any religious Lastly, regard- influence, creating an interesting contraing collaborations, diction between Bieber’s self-proclaimed “Second Emo- passions and what he has produced, leavtion (feat. Travis ing listeners with many questions. Considering most of the tracks sound Scott)” reflects an upbeat, hip-hop in- similar, lyrically and musically, merely writing about his passions would have spired style. “Changes,” the created a significant impact. All in all, I think fans were looking designated “slow song” of the al- for something different, considering how bum, is worth skip- long he has been around and how long it ping. Although it is took him to create this album. Although I am not the hugest Bieber somewhat honest Lantern Security supports the ECHO, and genuine, it does follower, I have consistently listened to not deserve to be the his music from a young age and honestly, its continuing contribution to local title track of the al- I’d rather listen to his old work than to journalism and the example it sets “Changes.” bum. about the importance of an ethical In conclusion, “Changes” is an upbeat Track 15, “That’s album to get ready and dance to, but not What Love Is,” is free press. refreshing in com- a work where you could listen to every parison to the style track and not skip a single one. It could of the rest of the al- have easily been shortened to 10 or 12 “Our liberty depends on the freedom bum. It additionally tracks, instead of 17. of the press, and that cannot be limited On July 13, Bieber will be performing differs from past without being lost.” his “Changes” Tour at Enterprise Center, work. The last track along with special guests Kehlani and -- Thomas Jefferson on the album, “At Jaden Smith. Tickets are available for purLeast For Now,” chase at ww.ticketmaster.com. “Changes” is available on all major does not finish streaming services. “Changes” well.
February 2020 | Opinion
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Stisser’s Scoop
Lil Nas X inspires change within industry
Photo from Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS
Lil Nas X holds his prizes backstage at the 62nd Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 26.
Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist Montero Lamar Hill, known in the music industry as Lil Nas X, recently made Grammy history as the first black openly gay artist nominated in top categories and winning two awards. The 20-year-old country artist received six total nominations, including Best Record, Album, New Artist and more. Conversely, “Old Town Road,” Hill’s record-breaking track, failed to receive a nomination in any major category at the Country Music Awards in 2019, despite being number one for almost a year. “Old Town Road,” which has topped the charts with over 150 million streams broke extreme streaming records previously set by Drake. Hill, who came out June 30, 2018, the last day of Pride Month, made a bold decision to come out at the rising height for his career. Recently, much controversy has surrounding the success and proper recognition of the artist within the country music industry as a whole. For years and years, many country artists considered bold or risque, lyrically and culturally, have been banned on radio stations and blacklisted within the industry. Some of these artists include Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, The Dixie Chicks, Lil Nas X and many more. Additionally, the country music scene has historically been primarily white. In an interview with CBS, Hill said, “I prayed that being gay was just a phase.” Despite these barriers, Hill is working diligently to fight the biases that have persisted for decades within country music through honesty, genuineness and self-acceptance, expressed through his music and social media. The work of Hill serves as a breakthrough that will hopefully turn the tide in country music to lead to a more accepting, diverse future.
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Entertainment | February 2020
Op-Ed
Cancel culture causes controversy Jaden Fields Junior Editor With the population of media services like Tik Tok, teens becoming famous is easier than it’s ever been. The surge of accessibility has thrust many young influencers into the spotlight. Being in the spotlight can be an incredible amount of stress for even adults, so one could only imagine the pressure it could put on high school teenagers. With this public eye on them at all times, and with the ignorance that comes with adolescence, it is almost inevitable for these teenagers to be caught up in incidents. One of the main scandals that these (typically white) influencers get caught up in is having videos emerge of them saying the n-word or participating in other racist or sexist behavior. When videos like this come up, typically on the app Tik Tok, it inspires a surge of “canceling.” The term “cancelled” is exactly what it sounds like. It essentially means that the person’s reputation is in a way ruined. Typically, when popular creators are caught up in scandals such as these, they make some form of apology, whether it be done as a video or simply typed in their notes app. In many cases, it is a repetitive thread for these apologies to be insincere, seeming as if they are apologizing not because they are sorry for their actions or genuinely feel bad for those that they offended, but because they were caught and want to save face for their loyal followers. While all media platforms have influencers caught in scandals such as this, Tik Tok is probably the most prominent right now, as there are so many young creators on the app who have been thrust into the public eye, some even appearing on Superbowl commercials. One of the bigger incidents to have come up from this is from popular creator Chase Hudson, commonly known as “Lil Huddy” on social media. Something that separates Hudson’s incident from others is the fact that he said this on his own live stream, whereas in other cases the word is said on someone else’s stream or they mouth the word in a lip sync video. Hudson’s is unique as it shows that he hadn’t just been saying it alone with friends, but rather it shows it is a word common in his vocabulary, that he said purposely in front of everyone on his livestream. Following this event, his comment section has become full of a diverse array of people, either hyping up the creator and siding with him or the ones who disagree with his actions. One can always find his comment section full of ironic comments, like people calling him a “melanin/black king” or commenting the emoji of a black man wearing a crown. For every troll, there is one person supporting him, making claims like “We forgive you,” or “It’s not that big a deal.” Ironically, most of these commenters always happen to be white. The issue with this is that it is not their apology to accept or reject. It is instead an apology directed at fans of color whom the influencers may have offended. One commenter, lasagnette, a fan of Hudson, commented, “It’s okay chase I forgive you :(,“ but user Frick******, responded
February 2020 | Opinion
Photo from tiktok.com
Chase Hudson, known online as “Lil Huddy,” posted an apology for saying the n-word on June 2, 2019. In the video, Hudson said, “I just wanted to apologize to everyone in the Tik Tok community. I’m sorry. And I wanted to apologize to the black community as well. I’m sorry.”
by saying, “lmao no you’re white girl it’s not yours to forgive.” Other commenters were more upfront and blatant in their support, user _alissamarie_ stating, “GET OVER IT!!!! He didn’t say the hard r.” Hudson’s situation is just one of the many examples of white or nonblack influencers saying the n-word. Another popular creator who has come under scrutiny for his usage of the word is influencer Mattia, a nonblack influencer who also said the word during a livestream.
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Join us in Celebration of the Lord!
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Comic | February 2020